Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge
Location in the United States
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| Location | Benton County, Arkansas, United States |
| Nearest city | Siloam Springs, Arkansas |
| Area | 123 acres (0.50 km2) |
| Established | 1989 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge |
Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a special natural area in Benton County, Arkansas. It became a protected wildlife refuge on March 14, 1989, to help save endangered animals and plants. This refuge covers about 123 acres (0.5 km²) and is located in the Ozark Mountains. It's famous for its amazing limestone cave.
Contents
What is Logan Cave?
Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a unique place that protects a special cave and the land around it. It's managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The main goal is to keep the cave's ecosystem safe. An ecosystem is a community of living things and their environment.
A Home for Many Animals
This refuge is super important because it provides a home for several rare and endangered species. These are animals that are at risk of disappearing forever. The cave is especially important for certain bats and fish.
The Amazing Cave and Its Environment
The Logan Cave area has many different types of natural environments, called habitats. These include oak and hickory forests, open grasslands, areas with shrubs, and wet areas like floodplains and marshes. There's even a small prairie area.
The Cave's Unique Features
Scientists say the cave itself has one of the best cave habitats in the entire Ozark region. A stream flows through the whole cave, fed by small springs. This stream once provided water for a local community and even a fish farm! Today, the stream flows into Osage Creek, which then joins the Illinois River.
How the Cave Was Formed
The cave's rocks show clearly how limestone caves in the Ozarks are made. They are formed when water slowly dissolves the limestone rock over thousands of years. You can even find many fossils of ancient sea creatures inside the cave. This is proof that this area was once covered by an ocean a very long time ago!
Protecting Endangered Species
The main reason Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge was created is to protect its unique cave ecosystem. This means keeping the cave and its surroundings healthy for the animals that live there.
Important Cave Animals
The refuge is a critical home for several endangered and threatened species:
- Gray bats: These bats use Logan Cave as a special place to have their babies in the spring and summer. It's like a nursery for them!
- Benton cave crayfish: This tiny creature is a type of crayfish that lives only in caves. It's known to exist in Logan Cave and just one other place in the world, making it very rare.
- Ozark cavefish: This fish is also threatened, meaning its population is decreasing. It lives in the dark waters of the cave.
Protecting these animals helps keep the natural balance of the cave's ecosystem.
